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Discipline

As a mum I’m my own harshest critic and never does that come into play more immediately after I have seen red and shouted “look what you’ve done!!!” I am immediately consumed with guilt.

In doing this all I have achieved is, scared my son with my outburst, made myself feel like a bad parent and taught my son that it’s okay to loose you’re temper as that’s what mummy does. We all do it, it’s impossible to think we can be the best possible parent 100% of the time, but discipline is not about releasing your own frustration it’s about teaching and getting your child to understand.

Sound familiar? Try to keep these techniques in mind:

Always remain calm- Stop the behaviour when you are calm and first noticed the behaviour, making it less likely that you will blow up the second things inevitably go wrong. Plus children are less likely to remember the lesson when they are scared and being screamed at.

Think about the outcome-. Think about what you really want to achieve in the situation, the lesson you want them to take away from the experience, gaining the understanding that they won’t always get their way. When you think about your goal for the interaction, you can take more conscious, effective steps to get there.

Teach empathy- After a sibling falling out or a playground scuffle, rather than forcing empty apologies talk to your child and help them understand what the other person in the interaction was feeling. “How would you feel if someone took your toy without asking?” By getting them to relate, you set a foundation for learning empathy.